When a towing vehicle tows a towed vehicle, such as a trailer, lighted signals are often maintained on the towed vehicle, which indicate the movement status of the towing vehicle and towed vehicle. For example, left and right turn signal lights indicate a present or impending movement of the vehicles in the indicated direction. As another example, brake lights indicate application of the towing vehicle's brakes by the operator. It is, therefore, useful that the towed vehicle light indicators generally match those of the towing vehicle.
A converter or circuitry may be used to detect an active input signal on the left, right, stoplight and tail channels of the towing vehicle and send a signal to a towed vehicle to operate a corresponding light on the towed vehicle. Converters typically utilize voltage measurements, such as hard-wired connections, to detect the presence of the applicable input signal.
The installation of a typical converter is often cumbersome and time consuming. The input connections are often made by either providing connectors on the vehicle harness and providing mating connectors on the converter or using insulation displacement connectors or self-striping electrical tap connectors, such as for example Scotchlok type connectors. Both of these approaches are hard-wired connections and can be time consuming and unique to the towing and/or towed vehicle. Still further, once the installation is complete, it is difficult to remove and port the converter to a different towing or towed vehicle, especially one of a different make or model.
The converters are connected directly to the electrical system of the towing vehicle. Such as for example, through splicing the wires to detect the voltage in the wires. This direct electrical connection imparts electrical load on the towing vehicle's electronics. This load may result in triggering a diagnostic code in the electronic system, which may result in setting off an alarm on the towing vehicle. Doing this may necessitate taking the towing vehicle to the dealer for troubleshooting. Still further, these connections may void the warranty of the towing vehicle and/or damage the electronics in the towing vehicle.
Alternatively, the electrical connections between the towing and towed vehicles often utilize a custom approach. In these systems, the towing vehicle manufacturer provides the harness with connectors to plug into and the converter provides the mating connectors in its harness thereby making a hard-wired connection between the converter and the electrical system of the towing vehicle. Since the harness and connections can vary with each make/model, a custom harness with mating connectors must be configured for each applicable make and model of vehicle.
There is a need, therefore, for a converter that is portable and can be used with any vehicle regardless of the make or model of the vehicle. There is a need for a converter that does not directly connect to the towing vehicle's electrical system.